Peak amplitude detector for a sinusoidal signal

Abstract: A demodulator (10) for use with a linear variable differential transformer wherein the demodulator adjusts for phase shift in the transformer and maintains the full bandwidth of the transformer, the demodulator (10) obtaining the maximum positive or negative amplitude of the sinusoidal signal at one of the secondary windings of the transformer by first counting (14) either a positive or negative half cycle of the signal and then, while down counting (18) one half of the counting half cycle, sampling (20) the amplitude of the sinusoidal signal. The sampling (20) ends when the down count reaches zero.

Description: This invention relates to sinusoidal signal peak amplitude detection, such as in association with the use of a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) for position detection, and more particularly in the detection of the secondary voltages of the LVDT. A LVDT is used in a control system to provide a voltage which is representative of the position of a controlled device such as a valve. As is well known, the LVDT has a primary winding which receives a sinusoidal excitation voltage and two secondary windings. The LVDT also includes an iron core which is connected to the driver that provides the input to change the position of the controlled device. As the output of the driver changes to change the position of the controlled device the core moves relative to the primary and secondary windings of the LVDT to thereby change the amplitude of the AC voltage at the output of each secondary winding. The output of each secondary winding of the LVDT is connected to a peak amplitude detector which provides at its output a DC signal representative of the position of the controlled device. This DC signal is used as the position feedback in a system for controlling the position of the controlled device. One such detector well known to those skilled in the art uses a sample/hold amplifier which is strobed by a pulse synchronized to the primary of the LVDT to extract the peak or trough voltages of the AC signals at the LVDT secondary windings. However, this detector does not adjust for phase shift in the LVDT and as a result thereof can produce a lower signal-to-noise ratio and lead to other inaccuracies over time and with changes in temperature. Therefore, this detector can require frequent recalibration. Another such well known peak amplitude detector rectifies and filters the sinusoidal signals at the outputs of the LVDT secondary windings thereby obtaining RMS values for those signals. While this known detector eliminates the phase shift problems described above, it causes a significant loss in bandwidth due to the extensive filtering required in the detector. Therefore, it is desirable to have a detector for use with a LVDT that both eliminates any phase shift problems and maintains the full LVDT bandwidth. JP-A-55 042 066 discloses a peak amplitude detector which counts clock pulses over four full cycles of an AC signal. The resulting count is then divided by sixteen to obtain a quarter-cycle (zero-crossing to peak) count for locating the signal peak. In one aspect the present invention provides a peak amplitude detector for a sinusoidal signal, comprising: first means responsive to a clock signal for counting a half cycle of said sinusoidal signal starting when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in one direction and ending when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in the opposite direction, said first means holding a count representative of said half cycle when said counting ends; second means responsive to said clock signal for counting one half of said half cycle representative count when said sinusoidal signal next crosses zero amplitude in said one direction; and sample and hold means for sampling the amplitude of said sinusoidal signal starting when said second means reaches a first predetermined count in its counting of one half of said half cycle representative count and ending when said second means count reaches a second predetermined count whereby said sample and hold means holds the maximum amplitude of said sinusoidal signal when said sampling ends. In another aspect the present invention provides a method of detecting the peak amplitude of a sinusoidal signal, comprising the steps of: counting in response to a clock signal in a first means a half cycle of said sinusoidal signal starting when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in one direction and ending when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in the opposite direction, said first means holding a count representative of said half cycle when said counting ends; counting in response to the clock signal in a second means one half of said half cycle representative count when said sinusoidal signal next crosses zero amplitude in said one direction; and sampling the amplitude of said sinusoidal signal starting when said second means reaches a first predetermined count in its counting of one half of said half cycle representative count and ending when said second means count reaches a second predetermined count whereby the maximum amplitude of said sinusoidal signal is held when said sampling ends. The detector according to the present invention overcomes the phase shift problems encountered with the previously-proposed arrangements, and maintains the full LVDT bandwidth. The single figure drawing shows a simplified block diagram of a peak amplitude detector circuit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for use with one of the two secondary windings of the LVDT. Referring now to the drawing figure, there is shown a simplified block diagram of a peak amplitude detector circuit 10 embodied in accordance with the present invention for use with the output of one of the two secondary windings of a LVDT (not shown). As will be described in more detail below, the circuit 10 shown in the drawing figure is used to detect the maximum positive amplitude, that is the peak, of the sinusoidal voltage at the output of the LVDT secondary winding to which it is connected. The detector circuit 10 includes a zero crossing detection circuit 12 which is used to detect the zero crossing of the LVDT secondary winding sinusoidal voltage that appears at an input 10a of the circuit 10. The output of the circuit 12 is connected to the enable/disable input of a high speed upcounter 14, the clear input of an overflow detection circuit 16, and the enable/disable of a high speed down counter 18. The clock inputs of the counter 14 and the counter 18 are connected to receive a clock signal having a programmable frequency. Each time the circuit 12 detects a positive going zero crossing the counter 14 is enabled. Each time circuit 12 detects a negative going zero crossing the counter 14 is disabled. Therefore, counter 14 counts the positive half cycles of the LVDT secondary winding AC voltage. Shortly after circuit 12 detects a negative going zero crossing and prior to the next detection by circuit 12 of a positive going zero crossing one half of the count in counter 14 is transferred to down counter 18 and counter 14 is reset to zero. Counter 18 is enabled when the next positive going zero crossing is detected by circuit 12. Therefore, counter 18 begins downcounting at the same time that counter 14 begins upcounting. When the count in counter 18 reaches a predetermined count, a pulse is generated to a sample/hold amplifier 20. In response to the pulse the amplifier enters the sampling mode. When the count in counter 18 reaches zero the pulse to amplifier 20 is ended to thereby turn off the sampling mode and capture the amplitude of the sinusoidal voltage at that time. Therefore, the sampling mode of the amplifier 20 is synchronized to the sinusoidal voltage at the secondary winding of the LVDT. Since the initial count in counter 18 is one half of the previous count in counter 14, the amplitude of the sinusoidal voltage captured by amplifier 20 should be the peak of the sinusoidal voltage. The amplifier 20 provides at output 10b of circuit 10 a DC signal that corresponds to the amplitude of the captured sinusoidal voltage. It should be appreciated that while counter 18 was described above as counting down an up counter could be used in its place. In that instance a predetermined count of the up counter would correspond to the maximum amplitude of the sinusoidal signal. The control system of which circuit 10 is a part may also include a microprocessor (not shown) which is connected to receive the DC signal at output 10b by an analog to digital converter (not shown). Since some sample/hold amplifiers have a high sample offset that could decrease accuracy during the sampling mode, the circuit 10 also includes digitization enable circuit 22 in the form of a counter that provides a signal at output 10c of circuit 10 to enable and disable the analog to digital converter. The analog to digital converter is disabled during the sampling mode to thereby prevent digitizing of the signal at output 10b during the sampling mode. The frequency of the clock signal is programmable to reflect the different ideal operating frequencies of individual LVDTs. This programmability of the clock frequency allows for maximum accuracy while minimizing the complexity of counters 14 and 18. As described above, the circuit 10 also includes overflow detection circuit 16 which is set when the sampling mode in amplifier 20 is turned on and is cleared when counter 14 is disabled. A loss of the sinusoidal voltage at input 10a will prevent the clearing of circuit 16. The output of circuit 16 is connected through logic circuitry, not shown, to counters 14 and 18 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art to disable those counters if there is a loss of voltage at the secondary winding of the LVDT. Circuit 16 is also connected to the microprocessor to notify that device if there is a loss of LVDT secondary winding voltage. Therefore, circuit 16 ensures that any loss of voltage at the secondary winding of the LVDT will avoid giving rise to incorrect position feedback values. It should be appreciated that a peak amplitude detector circuit identical to circuit 10 is connected to the output of the other secondary winding of the LVDT. It should also be appreciated that the other detector circuit is used to sense the maximum negative amplitude, that is the trough, of the sinusoidal output voltage of the LVDT. It should further be appreciated that the other circuit 10 operates to detect the trough in a manner similar to that described above for detecting the peak except that zero crossing detector circuit 12 provides the enabling signal when it detects a negative going zero crossing and the disabling signal when it detects a positive going zero crossing. It should also further be appreciated that the DC amplitude at outputs 10b of circuit 10 and the other circuit 10 are summed for use as the feedback signal representative of the position of the controlled device and it is that summed DC signal which is provided to the microprocessor by the analog to digital converter connected to output 10b. It is to be understood that the description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be only illustrative, rather than exhaustive, of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill will be able to make certain additions, deletions, and/or modifications to the embodiment of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims: A peak amplitude detector for a sinusoidal signal, comprising: first counting means (14) responsive to a clock signal for counting a half cycle of said sinusoidal signal starting when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in one direction and ending when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in the opposite direction, said first counting means (14) holding a count representative of said half cycle when said counting ends; second counting means (18) responsive to said clock signal for counting one half of said half cycle representative count when said sinusoidal signal next crosses zero amplitude in said one direction; and sample and hold means (20) for sampling the amplitude of said sinusoidal signal starting when said second counting means (18) reaches a first predetermined count in its counting of one half of said half cycle representative count and ending when said second counting means (18) count reaches a second predetermined count whereby said sample and hold means (20) holds the maximum amplitude of said sinusoidal signal when said sampling ends. A peak amplitude detector according to claim 1, comprising means (12) for determining when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in said one direction and in said opposite direction. A peak amplitude detector according to claim 2, comprising means (16) for providing a signal to disable said first counting means (14) and said second counting means (18) if said means (12) for determining when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude does not determine that said sinusoidal signal crosses zero in said opposite direction. A peak amplitude detector according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, comprising means (22) for providing an output signal representative of the interval of time starting when said second counting means (18) count reaches said first predetermined count and ending when said second counting means (18) count reaches said second predetermined count. A peak amplitude detector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second counting means is a down counter (18) of which said second predetermined count is zero. A method of detecting the peak amplitude of a sinusoidal signal, comprising the steps of: counting in response to a clock signal in a first counting means (14) a half cycle of said sinusoidal signal starting when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in one direction and ending when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in the opposite direction, said first counting means (14) holding a count representative of said half cycle when said counting ends; counting in response to the clock signal in a second counting means (18) one half of said half cycle representative count when said sinusoidal signal next crosses zero amplitude in said one direction; and sampling the amplitude of said sinusoidal signal starting when said second counting means (18) reaches a first predetermined count in its counting of one half of said half cycle representative count and ending when said second counting means (18) count reaches a second predetermined count whereby the maximum amplitude of said sinusoidal signal is held when said sampling ends. A method according to claim 6, comprising the step of determining when said sinusoidal signal crosses zero amplitude in said one direction and in said opposite direction before said step of counting a half cycle of said clock signal. A method according to claim 7, comprising the step of providing a signal to disable said first counting means (14) and said second counting means (18) if it is not determined that said sinusoidal signal crosses zero in said opposite direction. A method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, comprising the step of providing an output signal representative of the interval of time starting when said second counting means (18) count reaches said first predetermined count and ending when said second counting means (18) count reaches said second predetermined count.

Inventors: ZOLLER ALLAN C, ZOLLER, ALLAN C.
Applicants: INT CONTROL AUTOMATION FINANCE, INTERNATIONAL CONTROL AUTOMATION FINANCE S.A.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G01D1
IPC codes: G01D1, G01D5, H03D3, G01R19